Retirement is not an End

Marlene Chan moved to Montreal after retiring from a thirty-year career in Ottawa with the Federal government. In this delightful video she talks about how she first fell in love with Montreal as a young woman and why she seized the chance to make it her retirement home.

Marlene is inspiring in so many ways. She recently went back to school and earned a degree in the History of the Book, a Masters in Research from the London School of Rare Books. She participates actively in the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning where she’s co-moderated several study groups, and one of the off-shots was a Symposium on 21st Century Age Friendly Habitat.

“You have to think about retirement before you leave the job that has defined you for so many years,” Marlene says. “It can’t be done at the time of retirement, you have to think about it very much earlier. There’s a wealth of opportunities for people who are retiring. Don’t think of retirement as an end.”

The photo below shows Marlene surrounded by the staff from the video production, which was done by CUTV Concordia University Television. The video is part of a collaboration with YES Montreal's “Impact Dialogue Series”, which aims to decrease social isolation among seniors, engage seniors with their community, and promote intergenerational learning. In the 4-part video series they are highlighting inspirational seniors from a variety of backgrounds and Marlene was a perfect choice.